


It's just this once, I swear

by serendipitous_rambles



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bit of byclair too, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, High School AU, Maybe some underage drinking, Probably some angst at some point, Slow Burn, There's some dating, mileven in the background, sign me up, some partying, trope, yaaas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-23 18:17:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11995329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serendipitous_rambles/pseuds/serendipitous_rambles
Summary: "Shit. Please Max, look I'm on my knees." He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "It's just this once, I swear."Dustin asks Max to pretend to be his girlfriend just so he can get out of going on a date with a girl in his class. Max also takes advantage of this situation to get the attention of a boy she likes.High school AU, and that classic "fake dating trope" because I'm a sucker for it.





	1. Just go along with it

**March, 1988**

 

"Maaaaax!"

She closed her locker door and turned around to see Dustin running at her in the hallway. His face looked desperate, like he's in trouble...again. She sighed and rolled her eyes _, what has he done this time?_

"Ok dude calm down, geez. What did you do now?"

He grabbed her by both the shoulders, looking frantic.

 "Well, Cathy Burke was going ask me to go to the movies with her - but man she scares me, have you seen her in woodshop?!" 

Cathy Burke was 6ft tall and had more muscle and strength than Dustin. She was quite aggressive which was fair enough, she was the captain of the girls' football team and you needed to be tough. She was in Dustin's woodshop class and she channelled most of her aggression into her work. You did _not_ want to get on the wrong side of her. But for some reason she had developed a crush on Dustin which he was less than thrilled about.

 "So? Just tell her no? You might get a black eye but, I'm sure it won't damage the rest of your handsome face." Max mockingly pinched his cheek. She dropped her hand we she noticed his face had become serious. "You did tell her no didn't you?"

"Well..." Dustin's voice increased in pitch.

"Dustin...?" She didn't like the way this was going.

"I maybe sorta told her that uh...I already had a girlfriend."

"But you don't? She's going to find out and it'll be worse for you now. Good luck with that." She patted his shoulder and tried to leave but he grabbed her arm.

"Maybe I do now?" He asked hopefully.

"No. No way, not in a million years." She shook her head rapidly.

"Please! Just pretend to be my girlfriend for today, then... we'll just say we broke up and I'm too sad or whatever to go out with anyone else." His eyes were desperate, pleading with her.

"Ask someone else." She tried to pull herself from his grip.

"But it's gotta be someone I know, I can't get a fake girlfriend then ditch her, it wouldn't be fair to that girl."

"Ask El then." She pushed him away.

"You know I can't. Everyone in school knows her and Mike are dating. They're like, the most obvious couple."

"Dustin!" A new voice shouted: Cathy Burke.

"Shit. Please Max, look I'm on my knees." He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "It's just this once, I swear."

Max couldn't leave her friend there, and Cathy Burke was getting closer.

"Fine! But just this once."

Dustin smiled at his friend.

"Oh hey, Cathy." Dustin quickly stood up as the tall girl approached.

"Dustin! Oh is this your girlfriend?" Cathy glared at Max.

"Uh, yeah. She's my girlfriend, Max." Dustin awkwardly wrapped an arm around Max, who was also glaring back at Cathy. How dare she look at her like that just because she thinks she's Dustin's girlfriend.

 "Why were you kneeling just know? It looked like you were fighting?" She was hopeful, waiting for Dustin to say he was breaking up with Max.

"Oh that? We were just...uh.." he looked over at Max, trying to come up with something.

"I was having a shitty day and Dustin was trying to cheer me up, make me laugh." Max saved him, and he couldn't be more thankful.

"He is considerate like that... aren't you lucky." She squinted her eyes, but seemed convinced that they were actually dating.

Just when things were going well, Will and El walked along the hallway laughing at some joke Will had told. They stopped short when they saw how Dustin's arm was over Max's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Will asked, exchanging a confused look with El.

"Oh Dustin was introducing me to his girlfriend here." Cathy answered, but El continued to stare at Max and Dustin.

Will immediately understood and nudged El to stop her when she started saying, "Girlfriend? But-"

"Yeah El? Don't you remember? You and Mike went on a double date with them last week..." Will tried to get the message across.

"Oh, " El nodded, trying to play along. "Yeah we went last week to that bowling place..."

"Well, sounds like you have some catching up to do. I'll see you in woodshop Dustin?" Cathy sulked away, looking back at Dustin.

Once she was around the corner Max pulled away from Dustin and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Um? Care to explain?" Will pointed between Max and Dustin.

"Cathy asked me out and I didn't want to say no so I told her I had a girlfriend and Max was the only one available." Dustin explained.

"Anyway, it's over now. It was one time. We'll just say we broke up if she questions it again." Max looked at her watch. "Oh shit, El we're going to be late for algebra." She grabbed her friend by the wrist and pulled her towards their next class.

Will turned to Dustin. "Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

"About pretending to be Max's boyfriend? It's risky."

Dustin looked at him. "How? Max told you, we'll just say we broke up."

Will rolled his eyes. "Please, it starts out that way but it's a lie you're bound to get caught in. You say it's one time but what if it's not? What if you realise that you do actually like her? I don't know...just doesn't seem like a good idea to me." Will raised his hands in defense of his idea.

Dustin, never being bothered by anything, simply shrugged _._ "Will, I'm not going to fall in love with her or anything. It's Max. She's cool and I like her a lot but not in _that_ way. She's like a sister."

"Just hold on to that thought." Will laughed and they walked off to their next class.


	2. I kind of need a favour

Max was not one to form crushes. If she liked someone, she told him it was simple. Sure she'd go on a few dates but they never really went anywhere. But Craig was different. He was in her English class and she found herself staring at him. She mentally kicked herself for being so cliché and having a crush on the blond hair, blue eyes football player but damn he was something. He was funny and actually not too stupid.

He was practically perfect except for one thing...he had a girlfriend. If Max had known she wouldn't have let her crush get this far but she did. 

"Hey Max." Craig caught her after class which was unusual, normally they would just say "see, ya" and that was it. 

"Oh, hey Craig." She tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. _Ah stop being so stereotypical!_ She  mentally shouted at herself.

"I was wondering if you were free later?"

Her heart rate increased. Was he actually asking her out. She'd never been this nervous around a boy before, what was wrong with her? But his eyes...

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." 

"Great because I was wondering if you could tutor me?" Her heart dropped a little. But it was ok...tutoring could turn into something. Right?

"I thought you were supposed to be smart?" She joked.

"Yeah but, I'm really struggling with this class." _Maybe this was his way of flirting?_ Max thought.

"Oh? Really?" She laughed. _Ah pull yourself together, it's just a boy_.

"Yeah, my girlfriend keeps telling me that literature is just as important as football. I never listen."

Her heart almost stopped. Max wasn't upset, but she felt anger beginning to boil. He'd clearly been flirting all this semester but just "forgets" to mention his girlfriend... Well, two can play at that game.

"You know what? I can't tutor you. I have plans with my boyfriend." She didn't know what possessed her to lie like that. But she figured hey, Dustin used her, she can use him too. Besides, Craig would never meet him so what would be the damage.

"Oh, I didn't know you were seeing anyone." Craig looked a little disappointed.

"Yeah, he's really smart, so smart he could probably be at College already but he doesn't want to get too big headed. He's tall, and funny." She was making stuff up now. Sure Dustin could be funny in his weird way and he was smart - she might have exaggerated a little bit about _how_ smart. And there was no question he was tall, taller than Craig but not quite as tall as Mike. That boy had had a massive growth spurt in the last few years.

"He sounds cool. Hey maybe you guys could join me and Tracy on a double date. She's always saying how she wants more couple friends whatever that means. So what'd you say?"

Ah crap. Well, she couldn't say no now and she couldn't admit the truth it would be too embarrassing. But she couldn't just say they broke up either it would be too suspicious. 

"Sure. I'll talk to Dustin." She quickly walked away to find him, regretting being so impulsive and decided she needed to think more before speaking. It wasn't the first time her loud mouth has gotten her into trouble and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

* * *

Dustin was sat in the cafeteria with the rest of the group when Max ran up, looking slightly worried. 

"Whoa Mad Max, you ok?" Lucas laughed before taking a bite out of his greasy pizza slice.

"Yeah I'm fine. Uh, Dustin can I talk to you a minute?" She pulled him up out of his chair but not before he grabbed his slice of pizza and brought it with him.

"What's up?" He continued eating, much to Max's disgust.

"So uh, you know yesterday when I pretended to be your girlfriend so you didn't have to go out with Cathy?"

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Well, I kind of need a favour." 

"But I thought we were done with that?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I got jealous over Craig and I panicked." She threw her hands in the air.

"It's fine, I'll just tell him I lied or something. I shouldn't drag you into this." She sighed. It was the right thing to do, even if it was embarrassing.

"Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't help. And if it means that much to you then sure. I don't mind making this Craig look like an idiot. He hurt you and that's not cool." Dustin smiled and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"You don't have to-" she started to say but he cut her off.

"We're friends, it's what we do. If you need someone to pretend to be your boyfriend then you're looking at him. I'll be the best fake boyfriend you've ever had. You can count on me!" He gave a salute, causing Max to burst out laughing.

"This is the last time I swear. After the date, we never have to pretend to like each other again? Agreed?" She held out her hand for him to shake.

"I agree not to fall in love with you, and will return to my annoying self once this is all over." He shook her hand with a big goofy grin on his face. 

She could have done worse, Dustin wasn't so bad as far as fake boyfriends go.

 


	3. Natural

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on posting this chapter today but I thought why not, I have the next chapters I just need to edit so updates will be soon

Dustin and Max had carefully planned out their every move for the "date" on Saturday. Max had asked El and Mike for some input so she and Dustin could seem as authentic as possible. 

Dustin had insisted on picking Max up, despite her protests. When he knocked on the door, he almost didn't recognise her.

"What?" She patted down her skirt. 

"I've just uh, never seen you in a dress before." Dustin didn't care what she wore, as long as she was comfortable, but it was strange to see her in a dress. A girl so used to wearing jeans and shorts that it felt like a different person.

"Does it look bad?" She nervously played with her hair.

"No, it's just... different." He said with a smile.

"I could say the same thing about you. No hat tonight?" She ruffled his hatless hair.

"Hey, I'm trying to make a good impression." He laughed.

"Let's just get this over with." She made her way to his car.

* * *

 Things had been going well. They met Tracy and Craig at the restaurant, walking in hand in hand to seem believable. Dustin was charming throughout dinner, making jokes and occasionally touched Max's hand. She was surprised, he was actually really convincing, Craig and his girlfriend were none the wiser. 

"So how did you two meet?" Craig suddenly asked Max and she froze. They hadn't thought about that. 

"Ah, well..."

"We met in middle school." Dustin cut in, this time he was the one rescuing her from the unprecedented questions. "I remember she came into the class and I couldn't help but stare. Here was this cool, carefree looking girl, with hair so bright, it was nothing like the other girls." 

He intertwined their fingers where their hands rested on the table. 

"I uh, on the first day didn't exactly give the best impression. I said some things and quite rightly she kicked my ass. But, I knew right then that this girl was something, I guess you could say I had a massive crush on her after that." Dustin laughed.

For some reason, his words almost made Max tear up. It was true, she had kicked his ass because he was being rude, but then they'd became friends. A small part of her wanted to believe the entire story but she knew he must have made up the whole having a crush on her thing.

"Thing is, I didn't have the guts to ask her out for years." Dustin took a sip of his drink. Craig and Tracy were really invested in his story. "I just spent years with this crush."

"No? That's rough man." Craig leaned forward, he seemed genuinely interested.

"Yeah, but last year, I managed to finally convince her to go out with me. And boy am I glad she took pity on me." He laughed and wrapped an arm around Max.

She couldn't help herself thinking how natural it felt. With other guys, everything felt forced but somehow it felt like Dustin's arm was a perfect fit. His hands fit perfectly with hers. She shook her head trying to remove those thoughts. It was a fake date for crying out loud, that's why he's acting like this. She needs to pull herself together.

"Well I had a really great time, it was nice to meet you both." Tracy shook Max's hand. She was nice, dammit. Max had been hoping she was awful so she'd have a good reason to dislike her but she was just as perfect as Craig.

"We should do this again some time." Dustin smiled and Max gently elbowed him in the stomach. Why was he trying to prolong this? They were supposed to"break up" soon.

"Sure man, love to." Craig said as he guided his girlfriend to his car.

Max and Dustin drove the entire way back in silence. It wasn't awkward but neither really knew what to say. They had been holding hands the entire night almost but now it was like the reality of what they'd done had sunk in. And they didn't know what to say.

"I uh, wanted to say thank you Dustin. For tonight." Max smiled when he pulled up outside her house.

"Hey, what are friends for." He shrugged.

"You were a pretty good fake boyfriend. How did you come up with that story of how we met?" She was genuinely curious as to whether he'd made it up or not.

"Ah, well..." He shifted in his seat and looked down. "It wasn't entirely a lie...see, I had this huge crush on you back in middle school."

"Oh, I never realised..." Max looked down, feeling awkward that she'd brought it up.

"But I got over it when we got to high school, don't worry." He laughed awkwardly.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's in the past and to be honest, I'm glad it never happened because I wouldn't be friends with you now. And you're pretty awesome." He smiled, she liked his smile. It was goofy but left you with a warm feeling.

"Well, I better get going. Thank you Dustin. I mean it." She gave him a light punch on the shoulder, her way of showing friendly affection and ran up towards her house, not daring to look back.

* * *

"So how did it go?" Max had phoned El as soon as she got back.

"Good actually. They believed we were a real couple." She felt herself smiling at the thought. What was happening to her?

"You're not in love with him now are you?" El joked but Max felt her heart speed up.

"No, why would you say that? Does it sound like I am? It was a fake date." She said quickly.

"I was joking Max, don't get too defensive. Are you alright?" El sounded concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired. It was a lot of work pretending to be in a relationship. How do you and Mike do it?" She leaned against the wall where the phone was hung up.

"I guess it just feels right. You know? Like...it's so natural that it doesn't even feel like you have to try."

"One things for sure, me and Dustin are most definitely friends. And we won't have to keep up this fake dating scheme anymore."

 


	4. The Invite

"Here's lover boy now." Lucas laughed as Dustin met them in the hallway on Monday. Lucas, Mike, Dustin and Will were lucky enough to have a free period together without the girls. As much as they loved their company, it was nice to have some time with each other, like the old days.

"Shut up Lucas. It was a fake date remember. Anyway, we're technically broken up now so..."

"So...? How was it?" Mike said as he leaned against his locker, Will had raised an eyebrow and Lucas was smirking.

"Come on guys, this is _Max_ we're talking about. It was fine, they didn't suspect a thing." Dustin rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to be grilled by his friends.

"I still don't think it was a good idea. What if they want to meet up again, you can't just say you've broken up because what if they see you with her around school?" Will was still not convinced with Dustin's "it's fine". He still thought they were playing a risky game.

 "We can still be friends can't we?" Dustin asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Do you see me hanging around with any of the girls I've been out with? No because there was a reason it didn't work. I can't hang out with them after the things that were said."

"I don't think I could be friends with El. It'd be to awkward after everything we've been through, just to stay friends." Mike added.

Dustin rolled his eyes. "That's you, maybe we'd be different. You know what? I don't know why we're arguing about this because it's not real, we're not dating so we can make up whatever story we like." 

"Hey Dustin!" Craig had walked up to them. He normally would ignore them, not even acknowledge them. He was part of a different crowd. But since Max was so cool, and now through association Dustin was cool, he actually spoke to them.

"Hey." The other boys went silent. They hadn't had many pleasant experiences with jocks.

"I'm having a party this weekend. My folks are out of town. So I was thinking you and Max could join? Hell, why not invite these guys too." Craig gestured to Will, Lucas and Mike. 

"Ah well see actually-"

"He'd love to. Right Dustin?" Lucas cut in. Dustin gave him a confused look.

"But Max?" Dustin tried to speak but Lucas was too quick.

"Max would totally be up for it."

"Cool, and if you have girlfriends they're free to come along too. The more the merrier." Craig smiled his classic bright, white-toothed smile.

"Awesome! Can't wait." Lucas smiled after him.

Dustin lightly hit him after Craig left.

"Dude? What was that? We agreed no more of this fake relationship."

"Come on Dustin. It's our first invite to a high school party. We're juniors, we only have one more year until we graduate but we've never even been to a high school party."

"He's right Dustin." Mike stood up straight, hands in his pockets. "It could be fun."

"I don't know guys..." Will wasn't the best when it came to parties, which was understandable.

"I'm with Will. I don't think we should go. There'll be other parties. I promised Max we would end this." 

"But when Dustin? When will there be other parties?" Lucas was almost pleading with him now.

Dustin looked between his friends. They looked genuinely excited by the idea of a party- well Mike and Lucas looked excited, Dustin had a feeling Will was probably not too jazzed about it.

"Come on Dustin? Just one more time?" 

He sighed and looked down. "Fine. But this is absolutely, definitely the last time. After this, we're not doing it anymore. It's not fair to Max."

"Awesome!" Lucas patted him on the back.

"But only if Max agrees." Dustin added.

* * *

"A party could be cool." Max admitted when the boys had told them the news.

 "See I told you she'd be cool with it." Lucas gestured to Max who was moving food around her tray with her fork.

"But we'd have to pretend to be dating. I know we promised we'd stop it." Dustin leaned towards Max.

"But it's a party. And we don't get many chances at those."

"Are you sure?" Dustin looked around at his friends, all of whom were nodding in agreement with Max.

"Alright then. Let's do it."  Dustin declared, and the group burst out with cheers.


	5. It's a party, relax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In this chapter there is some underage drinking*

Saturday rolled around and El was a little nervous. She'd never been to a party of any kind but Mike assured her that he would be with her the entire time.

El had convinced Will to come along. If anything he agreed he could be a designated driver. 

"You know, just in case." He explained.

"I don't think we'll need that. We're sensible but thanks Will. Better to be safe than sorry." Mike said.

* * *

Will pulled up outside Craig's house, the music could be heard from down the street and the party had already spilled out on to the front garden.

"You guys ready?" Lucas turned around from his seat as shotgun.

"More than ready." Max replied and was the first one to exit the vehicle, pulling Dustin with her.

Inside, the house was dark and loud with couples in dark corners and beer cans lying around.

"Maaax! Dustin!" Craig danced towards them. Clearly already slightly drunk.

"Hey Craig." Max waved.

"You need a drink. Here." He shoved a red cup of beer (well, Max assumed it was beer) into her hand and then grabbed another one from the nearby table to give to Dustin.

"I don't know..." Dustin hesitated, but Max had already started drinking.

"Dude, your girlfriend did it." Craig swayed slightly. How much had he drunk already?

"Come on. It's a party, relax." Max said and nudged him gently.

Dustin took a deep breath and chugged the liquid back, coughing as it burned his throat. Craig clapped his back and disappeared into the mob of people.

"Shit, what was that?" Dustin spluttered after Craig had left. 

"Beer?" Max laughed and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's dance!"

Lucas and Will were already in the dance floor, Lucas holding one of the red cups. Mike and El were together, leaning against the wall playing with each others' hands. Both laughing at something Mike had said.

The music was so loud that no one could really hear each other. The "dance floor" (which was Craig's living room with all the furniture pushed aside) was filled with couples dancing extremely close to each other. Max and Dustin remained a safe distance from each other as they danced.

The music suddenly changed to a slower pace and all around them couples were dancing - or worse. Max looked over to see Mike and El dancing, her head was resting on his chest as they slowly swayed. Craig and Tracy had even managed to pull themselves off the couch and were drunkenly swaying together.

Max and Dustin looked at each other awkwardly but Dustin was the first one to make a move and grabbed her hand. They'd both had a few drinks but were still aware of their proximity to each other. 

"I didn't want to give the game away." Dustin said softly, looking down at her.

"Thank you." She didn't know what came over her, she'd blame the beer, but she hugged him tightly. They'd never really hugged before, it wasn't really something they did. 

 But he was warm and soft, and she let herself bury her head in his chest, breathing in his aftershave. She was the one who pulled away first though. Slightly embarrassed how long she'd been hugging him.

"Hey, what was that for?" He smiled.

"You're just being really nice and doing all this for me, even if you were the one who started it. I'll deny it if anyone asks, blame the beer but, maybe you're not such a dork after all." 

"You're secret is safe with me." They slowly danced, the beer starting to take it's toll. They were laughing and remaining closer to each other than they had before.

Lucas was off who knows where with who knows who. Will had found some friends from his science class who were also designated drivers, and El had Mike pressed up against a wall, best not to mention that to Hopper.

Max looked up at Dustin and in that moment she couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather have as a fake boyfriend. With alcohol taking away most of her reservations, she leaned closer to him. They were dancing with his hands on her waist and her hands around his neck. At some point she had absentmindedly started playing with a curl at the back of his neck, and their foreheads were pressed together.

Dustin spoke up softly. "You know how I said I had a crush on you in middle school? And that I'd gotten over it?"

Max nodded, heart beating fast in her chest.

"I lied, I'm not over it." Maybe it was the alcohol that made him admit his deep secret, but somehow, he felt better having it out in the open.

 Max pulled him closer and suddenly her lips were on his. It was desperate, neither wanting to be the one to pull away first. They were caught in their own moment, ignoring everyone else in the room. 


	6. About last night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for some angst™

The sound of the phone caused Max to wake up, her head pounding and nausea setting in.

"Shit." She whispered and rubbed her head.

The phone continued to ring so she had no choice but to climb out of bed and down the hall.

"Hello?" She answered it, leaning against the wall for support. 

"Hey Max," it was Dustin.

"Dustin? Can you not speak so loud, my head hurts so much." 

"Sorry, I uh... wanted to talk about last night." 

Max searched her memory but she had no idea what happened at that party. She couldn't remember much from last night only that she'd drunk a lot.

"Oh god did I do something embarrassing?" She put her head in her hands.

There was silence from the other end of the line.

"Dustin? Are you still there?"

"You really don't remember anything from last night?" His voice sounded disappointed.

"Only that I got too drunk. Why did you call me?"

"Oh, uh... only to ask if you'd...seen my hat? Yes, that's it. I uh lost my hat. But it turns out I remember I left it at Will's house. See you Monday Max." And he hung up the phone.

He was acting weird. First he sounded hopeful when he asked about last night but then he sounded disappointed when she said she hadn't. Max didn't believe his story about the hat but her head hurt too much to over think about something. She decided to go back to bed and sleep off the hangover.

* * *

"She really doesn't remember?" Will asked, patting Dustin on the back. 

"It's like it never happened." He looked down.

Dustin had stayed over at Will's house, his mother wasn't supposed to know about him drinking so Will let him stay so he could go home when he was sober again.

 "I'm sorry, I know how much you like her."

"It's just... she's so cool, doesn't worry about anything. It feels like I could talk to her for hours and she would understand. I've never felt this way about anybody. But she clearly doesn't remember, or doesn't want to. So we just have to pretend like it didn't happen." Dustin stood up, sighed and grabbed his backpack.

"You need to talk to her." Will stood up too.

"And what? She tells me it's all a mistake, or even worse, she refuses to speak to me? I can't lose our friendship over this." 

* * *

"I did what?!" Max shouted down the phone, wincing as she remembered her killer headache.

"I thought you remembered." El spoke softly, trying not to make Max's headache worse. "How much did you drink last night?"

"Way to much. Shit, do you think _he_ remembers?" 

"I have no idea. What are you going to do?"

Max went silent. She didn't know how to process the situation.

"I can't talk to him...I don't know what to say. I don't know who started it, what if it was me? No I can't... can't think."

"You have to face him at some point."

Max slumped on to the floor, she didn't want to exist right now. It was too hard.

* * *

Max wasn't seen Monday morning, much to Dustin's dismay. He really needed to talk to her, but she clearly had other plans.

"Hey, have you guys seen Max today?" Dustin said as he put his lunch tray down on the table, pulling Mike and El out of a conversation they were having.

"No, now that you mention it. El, did you know anything about this?" Mike turned to his girlfriend.

"I knew she wasn't feeling well yesterday, but I thought she'd get better."

Dustin shook his head. "It's my fault. She's avoiding me."

"Why would she avoid you?" Mike shoved some food into his mouth.

"Because we kissed at that stupid party. We were drunk, she must have been more drunk than she thought. I said something and she kissed me. I thought everything was going well but when I tried to talk to her yesterday she said she didn't remember. She probably did but doesn't want to admit it." He rested his head in his hands. "I'm so stupid, I should've just let it go but I had to admit my stupid crush on her..."

Mike and El exchanged a look.

 "What's up with Dustin?" Lucas sat down next to his friend who had his head buried in his hands. "He's not even eating, something's definitely up."

"Doesn't matter Lucas...I'm fine." Dustin sat up but he caught a glimpse of bright red hair across the cafeteria.

Max was talking to Craig, she was laughing and playfully pushed his shoulder.

"Why is Max talking to that douche - canoe Craig?" Mike turned around to see what Dustin was staring at.

 Dustin stabbed his food with his fork. "Hey, Dustin...chill." Lucas nudged him.

 Dustin continued to watch Max, and he felt an odd sense of jealousy. They weren't anything, as far as Max was concerned last night never happened. Dustin knew he had no right to feel jealous, but it didn't stop the knot he felt in his stomach watching them together.

"Hey guys." Max sat down, a smile spread across her face.

"You look happy." El raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Turns out Craig and Tracy are no more, yeah after his party they had this huge fall out. So he asked me out."

"That guy works quick." Mike coughed as El kicked him under the table, she glared at him: a sign he should probably stop talking.

"Yeah..." Max nodded slowly, looking at Mike with a confused expression. "So I told him that Dustin and I had recently split too and we're going out tomorrow."

"But tomorrow's a Tuesday." Will said, "you're in my Spanish class and we have a test." 

"Will, I don't care about some Spanish test. I've got a date with the hottest guy in school." She smiled, not meeting Dustin's gaze.

 Max and Dustin didn't speak to each other the whole of lunch and avoided each other the rest of the day. There was an awkward vibe in the air whenever they were around each other.

After seeing Max walk out of school hand in hand with Craig, Dustin knew it was time to give up on her, she was only ever going to see him as a friend and he just had to accept that. So he did the unthinkable: asked out Cathy Burke.


	7. You'll end up regretting it...

It had been two months since the party, and whilst Dustin and Max were speaking to each other again, there was an unspoken awkwardness between them.

Max was now officially dating Craig and Dustin had moved on. He'd gone on a date with Cathy but it didn't lead anywhere; he'd try dates with other girls but nothing felt right. 

Lucas decided to hold an end-of-year party as his parents had gone out of town and since Craig was invited by Max, it had turned into a huge gathering. 

"This is awesome!" He shouted when Max and Craig arrived. Lucas was finally the host of a awesome party and he was loving every minute of it. People would walk up and pat him on the back saying "cool party, Lucas."  He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the limelight.

Dustin refused to drink this time, he didn't want to do anything he'd regret. That didn't stop Lucas from doing shots.

Lucas was surprisingly good at dancing when he got drunk, he also latched on to Will the entire night. Dustin wasn't stupid, he knew both boys were crushing one each other, they were just too idiotic to realise. He hoped that tonight would finally convince each other of their feelings. 

Mike and El were dancing together and when she saw him, El pulled Dustin in to join them. 

"Come on! It's a party, dance Dustin." El spun herself around, trying to get him to join.

Dustin noticed how Max and Craig were dancing and suddenly he didn't feel like it anymore. 

"I'm uh, gonna go get some water..." He left Mike and El.

 _This sucks_ , he thought. The party wasn't _bad_ , but it certainly wasn't fun for him. Seeing the girl he likes pressed up against some asshole jock wasn't on the top of his list of what makes an awesome party. He sighed and got some water from the tap since he'd volunteered to be the driver. Leaning against the sink, Dustin watched all the couples, and that strange knot of jealousy returned to his stomach.

Lucas and Will had decreased their distance and Dustin thought back to that night with Max. _At least_  someone  _is happy,_ he looked down and took another sip of water.

He looked up and his eyes met with Max's briefly across the room before he looked away towards Lucas and Will.

Lucas had leaned in and kissed Will, Dustin couldn't believe it actually happened. But then Will stepped back and ran out into the garden, leaving Lucas looking lost and a little heartbroken.

Dustin ran after him, so did Max who had witnessed the entire thing. They found Will out in the garden, sat on the grass with his head between his knees.

"Will? Are you ok? What's wrong?" Dustin crouched down next to him. Max sat the other side and rubbed her hand in circles on his back, trying to calm him down.

"It's just... we've been friends for so long but I never imagined..." Will trailed off. "I don't want to ruin everything. What does this mean for us? I can't... everything was going well, we were dancing and then...I just don't want it to ruin our friendship. I can't lose that."

Max sighed and turned Will to face her.

"You don't realise how perfect you are. He likes you, and you like him. What are you so afraid of?" 

"I don't..." Will looked down.

"Will," Dustin spoke softly, "if you reject him now, he'll make it his life's mission to find someone as great as you. He'll date around, convincing himself that he's truly happy. That's he's truly over you. But..." He looked up and met Max's eyes, " but it won't be you. It'll never be you..." Dustin's voice wavered a little. "He'll regret ever letting you get away..."

 "Will!" Lucas ran out, looking frantic. "I'm so sorry I-" he was cut off by Will pulling him in for a kiss.

"Oh," he smiled and pulled Will closer. "Does that mean..?"

But he never got a chance to finish his sentence before they had gotten lost within each other, as if they were the only ones in the garden.

"We should uh..." Dustin laughed and pointed inside. Max nodded and followed him in, walking in silence.

She couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said to Will. Did he still...no, she shook her head. She was with Craig and she was happy. She _thought_ she was happy. Sure Craig was attractive and he was a nice person. But she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing. He didn't make her laugh as much as Dustin had, he wasn't as easy to talk to as Dustin, he certainly wasn't as smart as Dustin. When she held his hand or kissed him, there was no...spark. As cliché as it sounded and as much as Max hated to admit it, she _felt_ something when she kissed Dustin or when he held her hand. She'd made a huge mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I maybe got inspiration for this chapter by a scene in Love, Rosie. It's such a cute film so I recommend it.


	8. It's always been you

"I'm sorry, let me get this straight." Craig leaned back in his chair. Max had invited him out to the local diner for a milkshake so she could talk to him.

"You and Dustin were never...it was all so you could make me jealous?" He pointed a finger accusingly at Max. 

"Well when you say it like that it sounds bad..." She shrunk back, a little embarrassed now she'd actually admitted it. 

"And now you're breaking up with me? After all that?"

"It just doesn't feel right. Us. There's no... spark?"

"No. This isn't happening. _I_ don't get dumped. _I'm_ the one who dumps people." He raised his voice and Max could feel the anger rising.

"You know I actually thought you were a nice guy." Max stood up and she heard him mumble something under his breath about her being a bitch. That was it. No one, _no one_ called her a bitch. She slapped him hard across the face, leaving a red handprint on that perfect jawline. To finish off she dumped his strawberry milkshake over his head, letting the thick liquid slowly drip over his eyes, his perfectly quiffed hair all matted and sticky. She stormed out of the diner, red hair flying, leaving the jock speechless.

* * *

Max decided she needed to cool off. So she grabbed her skateboard - something she hadn't done since freshman year - and went for a ride. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she needed some air to clear her head.

 The summer breeze whipped through her hair and for a moment she forgot all about the stupid boy troubles she had. She often wondered to herself how she'd let it happen. How had she let her life revolve around boys? Somewhere along the way she had lost a part of herself, the part that didn't care what anyone thought. It was time to start doing things for herself, not because she thought it would make a boy like her, not because a boy told her to. 

Max didn't know how she'd got there, but she found herself on Dustin's street. She felt a strange tug in her stomach when she looked at his house and without realising, she had begun to walk up the steps to his door.

"Oh, hey Max." He wasn't wearing his hat and Max's heart leapt, remembering their "date".

She flung herself forward into his arms and hugged him tightly. When she pulled back, she felt embarrassed. 

"Sorry, I just...can we talk?" 

He stepped on to the front porch and closed the door behind him.

"I uh...broke up with Craig." She didn't know why she felt so awkward around him. It was Dustin for crying out loud. She'd known him for 4 years but recently he made her feel things she didn't want to admit to herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you ok?" He put his hands on her shoulders and his touch was all Max could think about. Why did he have to be so nice?

"Yeah actually. Turns out he's not a nice guy." She couldn't meet his eyes. "He freaked out when I dumped him, claiming no one dumps him." She laughed thinking how stupid he looked with milkshake dripping down his face, she wished she would've had a camera.

Dustin noticed her giggling and raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?" He asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say Craig will be washing milkshake out of his hair right about now."

Dustin laughed and she felt every care in the world melt away. His smile was so warm and genuine that you couldn't help but laugh too, it was contagious. She liked the way her laugh sounded mixed with his.

 "But, that wasn't the reason I dumped him."

Dustin tilted his head like a puppy, confused at her reasoning.

"Yeah uh...he wasn't... wasn't you." She whispered the last part, meeting his eyes.

"Max..." 

"I decided that from now on, I'm not going to do things just because people tell me to, or because it's want everyone else wants. I'm going to go after what I want. What makes _me_ happy."

He looked at her, before whispering, "And what is it that makes you happy?"

She hesitantly reached up and cupped his cheek. "You. It's always been you." Her hands went to his neck and pulled him towards her.

They broke apart, foreheads still pressing together.

"So? Will you be my boyfriend? For _real_ this time." She laughed as he kissed her again.

"I thought you'd never ask." He smirked against her mouth.


	9. Best summer ever

**August, 1988**

 

"Race you to the water!" Max shouted, pushing Dustin behind to get a head start over him.

"Oh you're so on." He chased after her.

Lucas had driven them all to the nearby lake to spend the day before summer ended.

Max had bear Dustin to the lake and he playfully pushed her and they ended up in a water fight. It only ended when Max jumped on Dustin's back, causing him to fall over and she landed on him in the shallow water which resulted in an intense make out session no one needed to see.

"Hey Mike, me and Will versus you and El. Piggyback to the water. Loser buys ice cream." Lucas gestured for Will to get on his back.

"Better get your money ready Sinclair." El had hopped on to Mike's back.

Mike started running but Lucas couldn't move. "Hey no fair! You can't use your mind powers on me!" Lucas shouted.

"You didn't say I couldn't!" El shouted back.

The teenagers splashed in the water like little kids for most of the day, Max and El took some breaks to lie in the sun and warm up. Dustin however had other plans and had found a bucket to prank Max with by filling it up with water and throwing it on her whilst she was lying in the sun.

"You're dead Henderson!" She lunged for him and he caught her in his arms and spun her around.

"Don't be cute! Let me be angry!" She tried to escape his grip but he just hugged her tighter.

* * *

The sun was starting to set so Will had the idea of having a bonfire. El was asleep leaning up against Mike's side and he wrapped an arm around her to keep her close. Will was bent over poking the fire to keep it going and Mike gave Lucas a look when he noticed the boy staring at Will's butt. Lucas simply gave a shrug as if to say "hey, I can't help it" causing Mike to chuckle. El stirred a little in her sleep and moved to rest her head across Mike's lap, his hands automatically going to play with her hair.

Max had her arms around Dustin's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, watching him build the world's largest smore. 

"Dude, you've put too much into that, it doesn't even look good anymore." She laughed at his offended expression.

"Hey, you can insult me all you like, but don't insult my food." He took a huge bite out of the mammoth smore.

They talked for hours and the sun had completely disappeared leaving the stars to light up the sky. El had long dozed off, using Mike as her cushion but he too had fallen asleep. Max noticed how peaceful they looked, wrapped in each others' embrace, they seemed to fit perfectly together. Lucas and Will had left for a "walk" a few minutes ago but Max knew what that was code for.

 Max and Dustin were laid down staring at the stars in a comfortable silence, listening to the sound of the lake gently lapping on the water's bank.

Max let out a sigh. "What's wrong?" Dustin turned to look at her, concern written over his face. 

"Everything is just too perfect." She stared up at the sky.

"And that's a bad thing?" Dustin smiled.

"Yeah. Because nothing ever goes this well for me. Something bad is due to happen." She said suspiciously.

"Nothing is meant to be perfect, if it was life would be boring."

"Why are you so good at giving advice?" She rolled over to face him.

"It's a gift." He laughed and rolled to face her properly.

"I'm not good at that kind of thing. I don't know how to deal with my own problems let alone other people's."

"But you're smart, pretty," she rolled her eyes at his compliment. "Way cooler than me. And you're funny, it's why I love you." Dustin froze and Max sat up sharply.

Neither had said those words yet. 

"What was that?" Max asked, her heart beating faster. Dustin sat up quickly.

"Nothing! I said you're funny and then I, I just stopped talking." He scrunched up his eyes, knowing she wouldn't believe him.

" You said you love me, I can't believe this!" She smiled, hands across her chest.

"No I didn't." He said desperately.

 "You love me!" She sang.

"No I don't." Dustin put his head in his hands.

"You loooove me" Max continued to sing- whisper.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Dustin put his hands to his ears to block out her singing.

Max stopped and her hands reached for his neck, pulling him closer until their lips met.

"I love you too Dustin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so I watched a couple episodes of Friends and the scene where Monica has the turkey on her head and then Chandler blurts out he loves her is just a very Max/Dustin moment in my opinion so I kind of stole that for the end of this chapter but I thought it was really cute so yeah. (Not relevant but Chandler and Monica had such a cute relationship)


End file.
